


オビト異伝 | An Obito Story - No More Masks

by HokageKamui



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community Service, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Humor, Grief/Mourning, Lime, M/M, More Additional Tags May Be Added, Plot, Redemption, Survivor Guilt, house arrest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HokageKamui/pseuds/HokageKamui
Summary: Obito and Kakashi battled hard, hand in hand, as the war was brought to an end. Upon making a promise to his comrade that he'd never wear another mask, Obito is shocked when Kakashi swears to do the same.On arrival back to Konohagakure, Obito is given a prison sentence. After Obito saved Kakashi's life once more, it was now his turn to fight for Obito.One calm November morning just thirteen months after the war ended, Hokage Kakashi wakes his friend up and tells him that he's being moved over to house arrest. With nowhere to actually call home, Kakashi insists that Obito lives with him now.This is a tale of guilt, humour, struggles and love. Obito continues down the path of redemption to right his wrongdoings and show the village who the real Uchiha Obito is.Follow along on the journey for the development of Obito and Kakashi's relationship, which blossoms into something more than friendship as they grow closer than they'd ever been, and the troubles they face together as Kakashi does everything in his power to keep the Allied Shinobi Forces together and protect Obito from the darkness.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 10
Kudos: 86





	1. End of the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been planning this AU for more or less 6 months, on and off, ever since I got back into Naruto at the start of the year. In the beginning it was solely self-indulgent and for wish-fulfilment, and I suppose it still is, but I have since then altered a few ideas so that I could feel comfortable sharing it to fellow fans of Obito and Kakashi, or Naruto fans in general. I wanted to push my creative writing to see what I was capable of, which I in some ways regret, because the language might seem quite unbalanced to somebody looking for it (like myself). But I have left in my spurts of creativity anyways, as I still believe the flow is enjoyable. So, that was just a small warning in advance. I am not taking any serious constructive criticism, but I wouldn't mind some tips here and there.
> 
> There are no particular Trigger Warnings for this first chapter.  
> Every chapter begins with a Gaiden flashback which is placed in italics.
> 
> Here is the OST playlist for this chapter if you would like to listen along. Music cues are marked with block quotations.  
> [Chapter One Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkizcjhTWUuAlioSUWsoXmri-Ce00TwS)

_Blossoms breezed by and collected within the silver hairs of a boy with his head sunk down into a novel. He was at peace, taken away to another place by the capturing language and illustrations, undisturbed by reality’s surroundings. The soft wind and spring fragrances only entangled him further, creating an easily eternal tranquillity if he were to never be woken._

_Determined, a dark shape approached to challenge the serene reading session, looming above and casting a heavy shadow down on the pages of his book. It clouded the words fuelling his daydreams soon to disappear. The pages lifted up and sealed together with a swift ‘boof’._

_“A shinobi should know how to be stealthy,” He murmured under a dragged out sigh, “and you still don’t know a thing.” Kakashi tipped his head back, the end of his breath catching in his throat as a scarecrow floated five inches above his face. “This can’t be...”_

_A gust of wind grazed his legs and took up the book left ignorantly in his lap. Kakashi regained his attention and looked down to face the offender, who bore an accomplished grin on their face. Disgust gave way through Kakashi’s eyes, but the initial shock had distributed, for his first suspicion was correct. No other than Uchiha Obito, but for the first time he’d taken a different approach to this apparent task. The two made direct eye contact and immediately acknowledged that this wasn’t going to end graciously. Hurtling towards him, Obito’s smile quickly backfired as he realised he had no way of braking midair._

_“Baka!” they both exchanged in unison as one crashed into the other, arms swinging and straw flying. The remains of the scarecrow decoy tumbled down the grassy bank behind._

_Obito sat up, cross legged on top of the other boy, novel in hand. “Finally, finally I will know what you’ve been reading all week now,” he cried out a series of cheerful chuckles, slowly unveiling the pages and their contents inside. Kakashi shrieked quietly and reluctantly reached forward to grab at the book, but stopped promptly. The Uchiha silenced, his shoulders falling in disappointment._

_“Substitution. You’re not the only one with a decoy up their sleeve, brat.” His muffled whines were replaced by short and pleased chuffs. “Don’t get your hopes up again, because I have no intention of you seeing the real one, it’s already far away from this location.”_

_After an eye roll and pout, Obito stood and allowed Kakashi to roll out from under him. “Did you at least like the scarecrow?”_

_“I wasn’t amused in the slightest,” he folded his arms once he was sitting comfortably again, an eyebrow raised subtly. “Your idea was far from original, you really are hopeless. Regardless, don’t you have better things to be doing other than being a burden to me? Where’s Rin?”_

_Kakashi’s words barely fazed Obito anymore, they weren’t entirely original either. He’d heard it all the same from him before, and although his teammate was cold, he hadn’t given up on trying to befriend him. “She has other friends, she can’t spend all of her time with me. I can’t spend all of my time with her either, because I have you to keep an eye on,” he said with a newfound smugness._

_“Sure,” Kakashi muttered with a tired and seemingly careless tone, laying down in the blanket of sakura petals that topped the hill like icing on a cupcake._

“”

Cold wind and snowfall enveloped Obito’s blemished face as he, Sasuke and Sakura returned to the vast tundra-scape. The extent of his visual prowess was just enough to deliver the three of them back to the same space-time as their allies, but it drained a lot of his chakra reserves. They dropped down from the sky into the blanket of white below, quickly gathering the attention of the enemy who hovered threateningly ahead. 

Kakashi’s eyes lit up at the reappearance of his friend and students. “Obito!” he called out breathlessly, but everybody else was focused on the troubling task they had ahead. 

“Impossible! It’s Sasuke!” Black Zetsu announced as the agile Uchiha boy was already up from the ground and tearing towards Naruto to rejoin him. 

“He’s here!” one Naruto cried out amongst the clouds of shadow clones. It was clear this Naruto had the truth seeker orbs encircling him. Kaguya didn’t hesitate another second. She wove her long locks around the levitating jinchuriki and snatched him towards her, tightening her clasp around his torso and protruding an all-killing ash bone from the skin of her palm. Her palm raised to angle it at Naruto’s chest, then swiftly pushed it forward, piercing the bone straight through his body. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 13 - Goshi Ni Tatsu ]

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks with disbelief. The faces of the others had flushed stone-cold with horror as they watched the body in the sky crumble to ash. 

“Now, there’s nothing to worry about,” Kaguya uttered with a smile. 

Sooner than the ash-covered body could fully disintegrate, it vanished into a puff of smoke right before the goddess’s eyes. Each of Naruto’s clones continued to hold up in every direction, her smile falling into a disgusted, gaping frown. Black Zetsu grimaced in unison. 

“He passed the truthseeker orbs to a clone?” it questioned angrily from the cave of Kaguya’s sleeve, “We fell for something so simple!” 

Anxiety-ridden smiles were passed around below. “Thank you, Obito and Sakura-chan!” Naruto managed a big grin, as if he hadn’t just worried his teammates that observed his fooled death. “Hey Sasuke! Did you thank Obito and Sakura-chan properly?” Sasuke just glared up at him as the two rejoined in the distance, showing he was displeased. 

“He scared us there,” Obito exclaimed with a silent laugh, looking over to his old friend. Kakashi was still pale, releasing a distraught sigh. 

“Well, Naruto was always unexpectedly cunning,” he mumbled. He knew it was too early to express a sense of relief, because the enemy was likely doing much better off than their side was in terms of chakra. Kakashi could no longer stand up to the enemy in the ways his students could, they had long surpassed him and he was now lacking the Sharingan that had given him his famous name across the lands. All he could do was watch, and when the time came, throw his body in as a shield for somebody else. Obito could see through Kakashi's masked emotions and knew exactly how he felt, and yet he wasn't sure what to do either, as there was no predicting how the rest of this war would play out. 

“Kaa-san, since they’ve reunited, we have no other choice,” the Zetsu hissed from the sleeve crevice, “We can’t afford to be stingy with our chakra.” 

“I know that.” The princess spread her arms out, shadowing over the dimension like a fierce ruler. The third, red eye on her forehead began throbbing. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 7 - Zetsu No Theme ]

The scenery surrounding all of them was instantly warped into a landscape they’d had yet to see. The floor was made up of small pyramids, and jagged ledges outlined the unnatural terrain. Everyone and everything in this new, peculiar space-time was pulled towards the ground at an alarming speed. The gravitational pull was much stronger than that of Earth’s and made it near impossible to stand, where not even the goddess of chakra could counter the dimension’s forceful attraction. She was vulnerable to the effects of it too. 

Hundreds of clones dropped like flies, disappearing when they came into contact with the uneven ground. The final Naruto landed without poofing away, wavering at the impact with grit teeth. He kneaded his back and glanced briefly across at his partner, who had at least landed in a better position. "I can't... levitate!" 

Keeping his gaze fixed ahead, Sasuke realised the situation. “It's a heavy gravity plane this time… except… she’s affected too.” 

Obito and Sakura had landed on an offset ledge, a little away from the rest of them. The Uchiha sat up as much as he could under the extreme pull, desperately looking around for the others. He saw the two boys in line with Kaguya, and Kakashi not much further in the distance, knowing it would be no good if he stayed up here. Neither Naruto or Sasuke could die or it would all be over. 

“My body feels so heavy,” Sakura winced, “This terrain…” 

“Miss,” Obito called over to her, slowly nearing. “How much of your chakra do you have remaining? I have a plan, but I need you to restore me as much as you can.” 

The girl had barely noticed him beside her at first, peering across with squinted eyes. “I trust you,” she started, “I don’t know if what I have left will be of much help, but please come to me.” 

He proceeded as nimbly as he could, then crouched before the medical kunoichi. Sakura immediately placed her hands on his back and began the transfer of her chakra. 

“We don’t have a lot of time, but I have faith in Naruto that he can dodge the first couple of attacks, same with Sasuke.” Obito drew his eyes shut and skipped through his thoughts, wanting to make sure his plan had as little flaws as possible. He reopened them and gazed ahead as he expressed his strategy to Sakura. “When the two are unable to hold themselves up any longer, I’m going to take off and collect Kakashi on the way. He’s had a chance to rest and regenerate himself by now while being useless, so he and I will synchronise chakra on the battlefield to cause a diversion for Naruto and Sasuke. You will have a moment to rest back here, and then make your way to join up with the other two again.” He glanced over his shoulder to check Sakura was listening to what he had explained, and was pleased to see a determined glint in her eyes. 

Kaguya had collected herself from the fall, although still unable to move much. She struggled to raise her right arm up, stretching out her palm and producing an ash bone from her pale skin. It pointed in Naruto’s direction but was reluctant to fire. Unexpectedly, the goddess raised her left arm too, extruding another bone from it. It levelled with Sasuke’s position, targeting his chest. Kaguya studied his eyes between the gaps in her fingers, watching them grow wide with sudden fear. 

He cursed. “Damn it! The visual prowess in my left eye hasn’t-” 

“Dodge it, Sasuke!” the Uzumaki cried out to him as he got up from the ground in a hurry, as much as he could hurry with limited movement, tumbling in uncomfortable ways to avoid being hit by the all-killing ash bone at any cost. Sasuke threw himself to the side and rolled over onto his back, barely escaping what could have been death. Usually he was the one alerting Naruto to focus on the enemy, but it was him who let his guard slip this time, and it almost turned fatal. He re-calibrated his attention and was ready to elude another attack. It was only a matter of time before he would regain his eye’s abilities. 

“Is the heavy gravity distorting your aim, kaa-san?” Kaguya’s child mocked her. 

“I’m adapting to it,” she said with a squint. “I’ve almost adjusted for it. These next ones will hit.” 

Overhearing Kaguya’s words from a short distance off to the left, Kakashi’s heart sank quickly, not prepared to see the death of any more loved ones before him, nor the war coming to a disastrous end. “No! Not like this!” He pushed himself onto his feet and staggered forward, paining through the heaviness his body felt. “There’s something that I can still do. I can at least be a shield for them!” This was going to be it, his final purpose, he thought. His sense of fruitlessness ever since he lost the abilities of the Sharingan was leading up to this very moment, where he’d take his own life in order to save those who could truly defeat the enemy and restore the shinobi world. 

Obito launched himself from one foot and dropped down to the plane below, a brilliant, blue wall of flaming chakra encasing him. Sakura’s eyes sparkled in awe from behind, astonished by what she had witnessed. Her weakened body rapidly caught up and she buckled under the pressure, her forearms barely holding her up so she could continue to observe the battlefield. She knew she would have to rest now if she were to rejoin her team, just as Obito told her. He believed in her, so she would do the same for him right now. Sakura called out to him for the last time before he was out of reach. “Do your best Obito!” 

The words touched his heart, having heard Rin say the same thing to him many years ago. Their voices blended harmoniously and echoed in layers throughout his head, fuelling him as he advanced towards the action. Working alongside Sakura had been a refreshing experience, as she held many resemblances with his beloved friend. He knew they weren’t the same person, but if Rin had lived, she too would have grown into a strong medical kunoichi with loved ones around her. Sakura allowed him to see what could have become of Rin, moreover, it filled a fragment of his heart destitute of love for decades. 

A surge of distantly familiar chakra suddenly replenished his reserves. It took a moment to realise, but it was unmistakably her. “Rin, you made it just in time to watch me save Kakashi once again.” Obito smiled and ran straight into the midst of things, knowing he couldn’t mess up now. 

“Let me make it in time!” Kakashi reached out with desperation and hurled his body forward in front of his two students. The bones dislodged from the enemy and rushed towards them, both weapons on route to hit him. His eyes sealed tightly as he waited for the brunt of the attacks to drill through him. 

Kakashi had his breath knocked out of him as he was thrown into the air and caught by a chakra infused hand. Kaguya’s rods had been stopped by something or someone else that had taken his previous position, though he couldn’t quite tell what had happened, afraid to open his eyes again. The giant hand passed Kakashi through a wall of chakra and suspended him in seemingly midair. 

“Trash isn’t supposed to take itself out.” A gasp escaped the Hatake’s mouth and he uncovered his eyes urgently, desperate to see the face to match that voice. He gazed breathlessly up at Obito, bewildered that he had saved his life once again, only this time there were no losses and his friend stood strongly beside him. He looked down to where Sasuke and Naruto were, heavily relieved to see they were safe behind the barrier of Obito’s Susanoo. 

“But how?” he questioned in his disorientation, gradually returning his attention to Obito. 

“It isn’t perfect, but Sakura and Rin lent me their energy.” He could tell the shaken man would have questions about that, but they’d have to be answered later. “Come and stand beside me and try not to think on things for too long, for we have an enemy to take down. I need you to synchronise your chakra with me while I infuse the six paths chakra, then we can perfect the Susanoo and create a diversion. Got it, Bakakashi?” 

Kakashi had let Obito toy him around enough, it was finally time to stand with him again as an equal. He may have no longer possessed the visual prowess that belonged to Obito, but his bond with him remained and strengthened, allowing the two to harmonise their chakra flawlessly. Kakashi laid his hand on Obito’s shoulder and steadied himself, watching the enemy ahead while the six paths chakra leaked into the Susanoo. Layers of armour built up around the giant humanoid until it was a complete form, 

“Hah, it might be even bigger than yours, Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed from the ground, teasing his rival. The young Uchiha brushed him off. 

“My visual prowess is back!” Sasuke uttered under his breath. He dashed forward within the blink of an eye and parked himself above the enemy, activating a Chidori and diving towards Kaguya. 

Just as it had happened earlier, the eye on her forehead pulsated and within an instant transformed the landscape, meaning they were once again in a different space-time. However, Obito and Sakura recognised this one from their Sasuke rescue mission. The sky was coloured lime green, and the mountainous structures that stretched across the entire dimension were made up of pinks and reds. There were fortunately no hazardous effects in this space-time, and by Obito arriving with regained power, the tables had been turned against Kaguya and Zetsu. 

Kaguya shot up into the sky out of the Chidori’s reach, Black Zetsu peering out with its repulsive grin. “Kaa-san, the vermin traitor is now almost as much of a threat as Naruto and Sasuke. You need to be careful of him.” 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 14 - Isami Aru Monotachi ]

“Naruto, let’s go,” Sasuke urged, his purple Susanoo chakra dancing like flames around his body and ready to explode into its perfect form. The two of them had discussed a plan while Sasuke had been recovering, so were prepared with tricks up their sleeves as well. 

The jinchuriki formed a fist and thrust it into the air “Yeah!” Clasping his hands together, he formed a hundred or so shadow clones that circled them and the enemy. “Naruto Ultimate Barrage!” They began to move in one by one with taijutsu attacks, limbs flailing around as Kaguya batted them away with her arms and attentive hair. 

“It's no good dealing out your clones, stupid, kaa-san has no trouble fighting them back. But by all means, continue wasting your chakra for her, it will only make our job easier," Black Zetsu spoke in a demeaning manner, unaware that it and its mother were once again being fooled. A clone approaching Kaguya from behind was instantly teleported away in exchange for Sasuke, his Chidori ablaze. Before she could react, the lightning type attack sliced its way through her arm that homed the Zetsu, completely removing it from her body and sending it spinning through the air. 

Naruto took one of his truth seeker orbs and fabricated two black rods out of it, firing them at the airborne arm and restraining it to the floor beneath. 

Black Zetsu squirmed desperately, but could not escape. "I can't move!" 

With the chakra goddess made disabled, eight of Naruto's clones and his real body had readied a Rasenshuriken each, the nine unique to one of the nine tailed beasts. "Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken!" Shukaku's magnetic release and sand, Matatabi's blue flames, Isobu's water release, Son Goku's lava release, Kokuo's boil release, Saiken's acid, Chomei's scale powder, Gyuki's ink, and finally Kurama's wind release. All Rasenshuriken fired at once and collided with Kaguya, exploding on impact. 

Obito and Kakashi stood by, waiting with anticipation to see what of her would survive the blow. The Susanoo flew up into the air, its wings of chakra gracefully parted. The two were prepared with a selection of fresh ideas to attempt, a combination of their jutsu bound with the power of the Susanoo. Whatever it took to weaken the Ootsutsuki, they would do. Naruto and Sasuke's diversion had given Obito enough time to regenerate more chakra, guaranteeing their turn to last long enough to do what they needed. 

The clouds of smoke and flames parted, unveiling the damage that had been done, which was very little. "Looks like we're going to have a bit of fun after all," Obito began with half of a smirk, but didn't anticipate what would happen next. 

Groans escaped Kaguya's body as white puss leaked from her wounds, expanding and engulfing her figure. It grew and grew until it had swallowed her whole, large heads of various creatures dehumanising her figure and expanding to the size of tailed beasts. Many of the heads were recognisably from the nine bijuu, but one face in particular stood out from the rest and had somewhat of a body attached below it. This particular one appeared to personify Kaguya, bearing the same red Rinne Sharingan in its forehead, and had horn-like ears. 

“Another humongous creature thing? What is it?” Naruto exclaimed, staring up at it as he levitated beside Sasuke. “A wolf or tanuki? Badger? Maybe a rabbit…” 

The Uchiha boy was displeased with Naruto wasting time. “Look it doesn’t matter, but now we can get near it and seal it more easily.” 

Zetsu, now accepting its situation wasn’t one it could leave, could at least overhear the discussions happening. It was shocked by Naruto’s comments. “Kaa-san isn’t humanoid? The ten tails must have taken over against her will... So are the tailed beasts within her resonating in response to Naruto’s attack and starting to split apart?! That means they’re not stable…” 

The unsettled creature let out a piercing screech and began to throw out stretches of white arms in all directions. A hand rapidly approached the two boys levitating. A nearby clone of Naruto shoved the Uzumaki and Uchiha out of the way before the hand could strike down on them, taking the clone instead and melting it into its own. “Sasuke, don’t let that white hand get hold of you! It will absorb you in an instant!” 

Another arm shot out and plummeted towards Sakura who was based on the ground, barely jumping aside before it tore up the red terrain next to her feet. She started to rush the opposite way, but it was nowhere near fast enough to outrun the approaching danger. 

All of a sudden, a second large hand swept beneath the first and sealed Sakura within a fist of chakra, flying her to safety. It was none other than Obito’s Susanoo, which ascended further into the air as its fiery blue wings spread wide across the sky. The fierce chakra giant stopped climbing higher and turned around to face the enemy monster. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 2 Track 3 - Gekiha ]

Standing in the centre of the Susanoo head, Kakashi and his former teammate had their hands pressed together above their heads post-high five. Obito pumped his other fist into the air with a smile on his face. 

“This time, I will protect my comrades!” Kakashi called out, taking the other by surprise. Obito glanced across at him in awe, his mouth parted. Those words had been snatched right out of his mouth by the other. It was Obito who first taught Kakashi to put his friends above the mission, so hearing him declare it while standing with him as a teammate again warmed his renewed heart. 

“Woah, Kakashi sensei and Obito saved Sakura!” Naruto exclaimed as he dodged another flailing arm, trying to keep watch on several things at once. 

It was their turn now to step up to the battle and fight to save the world. The two had already formulated a loose plan and fabricated ideas to put to the test, knowing the Susanoo would allow them to achieve greater and new jutsu, and let them combine each other’s existing ones. 

The Susanoo hand let go of its grip on Sakura and launched her into the body of the chakra mass, where she would be able to safely observe. 

“Ready, Kakashi?” Obito clasped his hands together to form a sign, preparing. The other man responded with an earnest hum and narrowed his eyes, sharply tracking the enemy’s many movements. The Hatake no longer had the Sharingan, but he had always been quick-witted even without it, so continued to perform adequately without the visual prowess. 

The Uchiha released the hand sign as he yelled. “Kamui Shuriken!” A couple of shuriken weapons shaped just like the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern unique to Obito appeared in both of the Susanoo hands. They were roughly the size of a house, the perfect size to take down those problematic white arms. The shuriken were thrown forward, each aiming for a different arm, and each successfully landing. As the weapons came into contact with the enemy, they twisted into a vortex and pulled the arms in until they gave out and burst away from the bloated body. The rabbit monstrosity writhed in agony and shrilled. 

“Combining the power of Kamui with these large shuriken to determine the Kamui’s barriers, it worked better than we could have hoped for,” Kakashi commented. 

Just as he finished speaking, the unsettling creature started changing form, or rather, losing its form around another object. The being’s white structure broke apart and revealed a large black mass that continued to enlarge right before their eyes. 

Kaguya reemerged from the remnants of the ten tails chakra, which was now stabilised and mostly sealed back inside of her. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 06 - Ootsutsuki Kaguya ]

“This root time-space is kaa-san’s exclusive domain where she can directly extract chakra from shinobi trapped in the infinite Tsukuyomi,” Black Zetsu stated. “The tailed beasts are now stable, plus kaa-san has even produced a truth seeker orb. An expansive kekkei moura truth seeker orb containing every nature: wind, earth, fire, lightning, water, yin and yang. It’s the start of a new time-space! And YOU WILL BECOME ITS SACRIFICES!” 

The dark sphere appeared to engulf the sky as it emanated above all of the world. Gazing into it imitated the far reaches of the universe, endless black. 

Naruto grimaced and backed him and Sasuke away. “That thing is... just like the spheres that are behind me.” 

“Except it's a lot bigger, and it's still growing... fast.” Fast wasn’t an overstatement, it was almost terrifying to see the orb expanding and expanding at the alarming rate it was going at. A plan was necessary within minutes, or they would all be severed from the reality they knew, and Kaguya’s new time-space would successfully be created. There was no guessing what horrors would come from allowing such a thing to happen. 

“In order to stop that…” “We need to seal that Rabbit Granny away right now!” Naruto finished Sasuke’s sentence. 

“Obito, is there any possibility you would be able to…?” 

He shakes his head no, his answer bringing quick disappointment. “There’s no chance, I’m afraid. It’s already too large and will keep on growing larger. Nor have I had much opportunity to use this half of the visual prowess before, please remember. 

“However, I think I have a plan, and it’ll take everything we’ve got. Call your comrades over here and I’ll discuss what we’re going to do.” 

There was a glimmer in Obito’s eye. It was the glimmer of hope they all needed right now as everybody else stood frozen cold, where Obito was the light to melt the ice. 

“Gather ‘round, we’ve got a plan.” Kakashi ushered, confident in Obito. Team 7 turned their heads. Sakura, who was floating inside the Susanoo body, had already been listening and alerted while Naruto flew himself and Sasuke over to the blue chakra giant to hear out the plan. There wasn’t a moment to waste, so Obito spoke out posthaste with a clear voice. 

“Naruto, I want you to get your real body as close as possible to her and send a clone up in place of Sasuke, so that the both of you aren’t endangered immediately. Sasuke will be able to use his eye prowess then to switch places with the clone when both you and the doppelganger are close enough to Kaguya. Since Kaguya is aware of Sasuke’s technique, she will go for you first, so use a transformation to be smart. Sakura, we’ll give you some height with the Susanoo, and then you’ll attack from above to make sure she won’t escape the sandwich of the sealing jutsu. Kakashi and I will deal with any unexpected launches from her, we’ve been preparing all this time.” He briefly turned his head to the man beside him and nodded. “Please, quickly organise yourselves. We don’t have much time.” 

Naruto was summoning his multi-shadow clones before Obito had finished speaking. He gathered them around him and Sasuke, forming a wall to cover them from the enemy’s vision. Naruto gave Sasuke a good look up and down before transforming into him, then grabbed one of his Naruto clones to be his temporary replacement. 

The wall of clones - Sasuke amongst them - dispersed into several directions as the rabbit goddess reassembled herself and floated down a ways in front of them, gracefully lifting her arms on either side of herself. 

“I am immortal,” Kaguya’s unearthly voice enunciated, “If either of you die, you cannot seal me away. Now then… which shall it be?” 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 06 - Kaze To Honoo No Rondo ]

“You’re mine, damn it!” the clone of Naruto calls up, prepared to rocket into the sky. 

“No, we attack her together,” Sasuke-disguised Naruto responds, in character enough to completely fool anybody. “She’s scared of being sealed and her attention will be divided. Take me part of the way. Then I’ll fly the rest of the way.” 

As the two made a beeline for her, Kaguya’s back sprouted two dozen ash bones that stretched backward as sharp stakes. A gasp escaped Kakashi sensei’s and Sakura’s mouths, but this was the unexpected launch that Obito expected and spoke of within their plan. The Susanoo abruptly took off and soared higher into the sky, snatching the attention of the goddess. Her head bowed downward as multiple of the ash bone stakes dislodged from her back and raced after the blue Susanoo. 

As the stakes ploughed into the defensive walls of chakra, they were slowed down tremendously but still managed to penetrate. Everybody flung themselves out of the way in time besides Obito, who let it pass straight through him as he scrunched his eyes into a foul glare towards the woman. Kakashi shifted back over to Obito’s side. “Now!” 

Approaching ten minutes prior to this situation, Kakashi had told Obito that regardless of the risks he observed as a child without having the Sharingan, he was going to use the Lightning Blade if it meant he would be something more than useless in this battle. Chidori’s or Raikiri’s speed meant a tunnel-vision was created, therefore an attack from the side would be invisible without the aid of the Sharingan’s heightened visual perception. Obito corrected him, saying Kakashi had Obito’s eyes that would watch over him. 

They would attack together with combined power. 

Ascending further, the defensive giant rose briskly until there was enough height on Kaguya, both for Kakashi and Obito’s assault, and Sakura’s entrance later on. 

Hands laid one over the other, Kakashi’s hand on top activated the Raikiri. It’s familiar lightning-blue was invaded by boundless black, augmented by the chakra infused with Obito’s own. The Hatake was pleasantly surprised but didn’t convert his focus, determined to do anything in the last of his power to save the world. It was now or never. 

The Lightning Blade drove the two of them forward like a bolt, with great speed as they purposefully fell from the safety of the Susanoo. Kaguya fired ash bones one after the other, directly at the two unwavering figures flying towards her, but each one passed straight through their bodies like they had never been made of physical matter. 

Taken aback by this unexpected course of action, the mother of all chakra was found unable to move. A reinforced truth seeker rod extruded from Obito’s palm and tethered to Kakashi’s lightning style, assuring it would proceed in a precise stream. With a harmonised battle cry, together their linked secret technique shattered Kaguya’s sour face as it sliced straight through her. Her shoulder was torn wide, making the arm unusable. 

Kakashi and Obito continued to hurtle past, the impact on their target hardly halting their momentum. They both twisted in the air as they plummeted toward the warped terrain below, facing upward to be sure they didn’t miss Team 7’s final operation. 

The shimmering blood shed from the Goddess decorated the sky as she began to descend rapidly. Either side of her, Sasuke and Naruto appeared out of nowhere, their arms extended dramatically. Kaguya, afraid of the fate that flashed before her eyes now, hurried to steady her left arm and readied an all-killing ash bone. It was shot out towards Naruto, who didn’t possess the prowess that Sasuke did, but only to find out it was a mere transformed clone that impressively held its shape as it crumbled away. The Sasuke on her right was now actually Naruto who’d undone his transformation. 

“So they were both Ashura’s reincarnates, after all. They must have switched back then,” Kaguya realised out loud. “So then, the one on the right is the real one!” 

Back on the ground, Black Zetsu hollered as it saw its mother plunging through the air, partially incapacitated. “No, kaa-san!” The hand sharing a sleeve with it twitched to life as a stake protruded from the palm of it, preparing to send it through a rip in the dimension. 

The other end of the portal split open the space in front of the real Naruto. 

“Not on my watch!” the tumbling Obito Uchiha yelled, squeezing the last of his chakra out to form a Kamui barrier around the incoming ash bone rod. It was warped away in success. 

Naruto continued to push forward, now counting on Sasuke to come and join him. The gap between his hand and ending this war was almost indefinable; it was that close now. 

In a flicker of an image, the crumbling doppelganger had been teleported away and substituted for the moon to Naruto’s sun. Understanding the fatality of her position, the chakra goddess debated escaping to the ice world, but stalling the idea as she remembered Sasuke’s Amaterasu. She couldn’t fall any faster, so her last option was to fly upward. 

Descending from the Susanoo menacing above, a bundle of pink hair gave colour to the sky. “Don’t forget about me! We’re both women... so don’t mock me!” Sakura, with her fist pulled all the way back, released what she’d been preparing for, throwing skull-cracking strength down onto the other woman’s head. Droplets of blood, from both Sakura’s fist and Kaguya’s head, suspended in midair. 

The distance between Sasuke and Naruto’s extended arms and Kaguya’s body came to a close. A hand placed firmly on either side of her torso, one being the sun and one being the moon, formed the necessary seal that they needed. 

“Now!” 

“Shannaro!” 

“All right!” 

“Six Paths Planetary Devastation!” 

“Sasuke… Sakura… Naruto...!” Kakashi could barely speak, overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of his students. The first time he had met the three of them was still fresh on his mind, his tiny, adorable students, the ones who had pranked him in the classroom for his late arrival. The ones he never expected a shred of teamwork from. But just as he’d hoped Obito had observed that day, when they made their first shred of teamwork, he was certain his best friend had observed it right now. 

The ground began to tear up from below them, rocks floating past and obstructing the sky of green. Team 7 started their descent to safer turf as the sealing jutsu erupted and sent a defeated Kaguya out of control. The ten tails took over her body and clawed its way out, each extension of the white expanding chakra breaking off and reforming into one of the familiar tailed beasts. 

The remaining chakra of the ten tails writhed in agony, managing to spit out the limp body of Madara Uchiha before the beast was completely sealed under rock. Sasuke, Sakura, and the tailed beasts hurried out from under the planetary body that continued to form in the sky. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden Unreleased OST - A Friend's Reminiscence ]

Obito looked across at his past teammate as they continued to fall side by side. He recognised a relieved smile on the other’s face, despite it being hidden behind a mask. “You nurtured a remarkable team, Kakashi,” he commented, not being able to stop his own smile that followed. 

His voice became a hoarse whisper. “Imagine if we could have been like that...” 

A proud laugh brought a pink tint to the circles of Kakashi’s cheeks. He turned his head to meet Obito’s face, taking in the wide grin that he flashed. The Hatake smiled with his eyes shut, happier than ever. They just won the war and he got to bring home alive somebody he thought he’d lost years ago. 

“We could still be like that,” he responded cheerily to Obito’s remark. 

Expecting a reply and hearing nothing back, he looked out once again and the joyful sniffles in his voice retreated. He watched as Obito’s eyes shut to, and his smile faded away from his face. 

“Obito.” 

Kakashi waited a moment. His breathing hitched. 

“OBITO!” 

Eyes growing wide with horror, he gasped for the air that had been knocked out of his lungs from screaming. Kakashi reached out desperately and threw his arched arms around his unconscious friend, fumbling recklessly as he forgot to put himself upright first. 

His mind emptied as he drew the Uchiha into a tight hug. 

Kakashi couldn’t lose him again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you if you got through to the end! I cannot describe how much I appreciate it, because usually I'm the only one who reads my writing and Ao3 is a new experience. If you've reached this point, leave a comment to let me know.
> 
> Find me on [Twitter at HokageKamui,](https://twitter.com/HokageKamui)  
> or add me on Discord at **HokageKamui#0210** since I'm most active on these places.


	2. Two People, One Promise, No Masks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are no particular Trigger Warnings for this chapter.  
> Every chapter begins with a Gaiden flashback which is placed in italics.  
> Extra notes: From here on out, Obito will use Mokuton to replace the truth seeker rods, since he shouldn’t be able to use them without having the Rinnegan.
> 
> Here is the OST playlist for this chapter if you would like to listen along. Music cues are marked with block quotations.  
> [Chapter Two Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkizcjhTWUtMO3ag-vQVsTAF2FnsAYj_)

_A misted sunset on a Sunday evening. The sky sported tones of dusk purple and rainy grey, but the scarlet of the dying sun still sliced through the thickening ocean of clouds. March winds had been left behind for April showers, where cherry blossoms were blooming to their fullest, the hill lush with pink fallen petals deep enough to make angels in._

_A boy sat among the vista of sakura trees, swinging his legs back and forth around the branch where he perched, patiently sitting in wait for something - or somebody - to arrive. He took extra care to clutch onto a paper wrapped bouquet of flowers that he'd brought along. The sakuras used to smell sweet and delicate, but they were bereft of their scent by the outstanding citrus and spice of the array of roses, ranging from salmon-pink to deep crimson._

_Just moments ago the air was calm, but as if ill-fated, late winds began to whip up. Each flower on each tree was combed through thoroughly, and branches clashed like gleaming swords._

_"It's just a breeze," Uchiha Obito mumbled to himself as he proceeded to shuffle closer to the trunk. "It'll pass over in no time."_

_One fatal move later and the damp branch beneath him tore away from the rest of the tree. Horrified, Obito lost his hold on the bouquet and watched the tie around it come loose, roses scattering about in the whirling air. He cried out as he lost any chance of regaining his footing, rushing towards the ground in an impossible position. Shutting his eyes hastily, he anticipated a painful landing._

_Kakashi’s newly purchased book fell through the air and battered against the mud with a couple of thumps. He made it right in time to leap through the air and capture Obito midfall. Blinded by the cherry blossoms that blew into his face, Kakashi skidded to a standstill, nearly toppling over with the addition of Obito’s weight in his arms. The Hatake grunted and decided on dropping the other boy anyways, who flailed his limbs around in a frenzy before colliding with the soggy, soily floor._

_“You’re a complete idiot,” Kakashi criticised, and a second later took notice of the scatter of rose stalks._

_Obito, still in shock, spun himself around to see where the boy had even come from. He noticed the fluttering of an open novel’s pages, slightly muddied from a rough drop. The Uchiha’s eyes fully opened and he turned back to mention it to Kakashi. “You dropped that, right?-”_

_Kakashi stood over him, his fist bunched around a handful of roses, the ones that had escaped from the bouquet. He held them out to Obito with an embarrassed expression. They both stared at one another, waiting for either one to find something to say._

_“You look so stupid right now. Take them,” the Hatake pushed._

_Retrieving the flowers, he bowed his head with a small smirk. “I bet you look just as stupid under that mask, Bakakashi.”_

_“Thank you,” Obito added before he forgot._

“”

Eventually bringing his head around to what was happening, Kakashi’s feet caught on the slant of a large rock that sailed past, which allowed him to right his direction and get a better grip on Obito. Fragments of the red-stained ground seemed to hover in the air surrounding them, some rising faster than others. He scanned the surroundings for more sturdy slates of debris to use as stepping stones, hoping to reach the outer layer of the ongoing destruction and jump down to the floor, all while protecting the man in his arms. Doing everything he could to ensure Obito would be alive in the outcome of this was the first thing that mattered to him right now. 

In the distance, he spotted Sakura and Sasuke safely gathered alongside the many colourful and powerful tailed beasts who had also escaped the path of the Six Paths Planetary Devastation, but no Naruto in sight. Was there still something to take care of? Kakashi had just moments ago seen Naruto with his two teammates sealing Kaguya away. If it meant securing the safety of the world, there was still time and hope, but in truth Naruto would be Obito’s only hope right now. Kakashi wasn’t going to lose his esteemed teammate again. 

Finally making it out of the Planetary Devastation’s remaining destruction, he carefully fell the rest of the way and touched down with some struggle, wanting to prioritise the comfort of Obito’s landing. He got up swiftly and sprinted in the rest of his team’s direction, calling out to them, his friend's arms and legs swaying freely in sync with each of Kakashi's footsteps. The Hatake held back slight tears. Sakura’s medical ninjutsu would have to suffice until Naruto reunited with them. 

Realising as soon as she saw, Sakura rushed over to meet Kakashi Sensei on his way towards them. She placed her hands on Obito's chest and began her medical ninjutsu procedure, a steady flow of healing chakra passing into him. It wasn't much, for she'd already handed Obito most of what she had left earlier. 

"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi questioned bluntly. Both Sakura and him knew her chakra would not be enough and Obito's life was once again on the line. 

Walking over with little to no hurry, Sasuke heaved a questionable sigh. "I'd have been able to do something myself if I'd received more of the six paths abilities, but it appears I don't have everything Naruto received, and Naruto doesn't have the abilities I obtained either. It is like we have two halves. He is the only one who will be able to help him." Pausing to check around them, he narrowed his eyes. "As for Naruto, he said there was something he had to take care of. I assume he will be back shortly." He glanced across to Sakura, who returned a look and nodded reassuringly. 

Kakashi's eyes lowered, trying to keep himself together. Even though each one of his students had far surpassed him now, he still wanted to remain a role model for them. He laid eyes on Obito's unmoved face, eyelids shut firmly and a neutral expression cheek to cheek. The deep scars dressing his face and his pale eyelashes both collected dust from the disturbance around them. Although Obito's face was roughed up and uneven, it was still very pretty, that much was true. Hopefully the dust would lift soon, if Obito would just come to. 

“You guys!” 

A shadow dropped over the group and a pair of feet landed amongst them. Relief washed over Kakashi Sensei's glum expression as he threw his head up to find Naruto standing there, an accomplished smile on the boy's face. Kakashi fixated on his bright blue eyes, the eyes that brought everybody hope and didn't let them down. 

"Sealing complete! And now it’s happily ever after!" he exclaimed prematurely. About to celebrate, Naruto ceased his plans, stepping up to Kakashi so he could tend to Obito. 

The atmosphere grew chilly. His face wasn't very reassuring of a happily ever after, all of a sudden. Sakura shuffled aside. Kakashi's eyes widened as he continued to watch Naruto's. 

Naruto placed a palm on Obito's forehead and focused. "Sensei… When I healed Obito earlier, I didn't think he would… make it this far. You understood that already, though, didn't you?" 

The tired, older man simply nodded. He knew. Obito knew, too. But it didn't mean he would give up. Naruto wouldn't give up either, Kakashi was aware, and perhaps it was selfish of him to be expecting this much from Naruto. Placing that responsibility on him after what he'd just managed to achieve. But he truly believed Naruto had made a new friend within Obito, so this wasn't just for his sake. 

"Kakashi Sensei," Naruto muttered. 

Kakashi’s breath stopped. 

He didn't want to hear what was going to be said next, his gaze drifting to the side. His eyes began to close; that was it. But in the corner of his closing view, he caught Naruto's mouth curling up into a smile. Unable to believe it, he glanced across at the head resting in his arms. Two little black orbs looked back up at him, squinting as they adjusted to the light. 

"Obito," he mouthed breathlessly, barely audible, and lips hardly readable through the material of his mask. 

"Were you about to cry for me, Bakakashi?" the Uchiha spoke quietly. He mustered a laugh and shut his eyes to again, but this time while smiling and very much awake. "I can't leave you behind knowing you’ll be alone and not much use to anybody.” 

Naruto and Sakura cheered, while Sasuke managed at least a respectable smile. Kakashi rolled his eyes gently and sniffled happily, hugging his friend closer to him. The other didn’t mind at all and only continued to chuckle with a dry voice. 

Stretching her arms up high, Sakura exhaled pleasingly. “The first thing that I want to do is take a hot bath to wash off this sweat and grime…” But a very large problem promptly sank in proceeding this. “Wait a second, WHAT ABOUT US?! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF THIS TIME SPACE?!” 

A distressed scream departed from Naruto, who tuned in with Sakura’s panicking. 

“Hey now you guys, calm down so we can think about this rationally,” Kakashi attempted to take control of the situation. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden Unreleased OST - The Guts to Never Give Up ]

Before they knew it however, over the course of the battle, the previous Kage had been assembling a great teleportation technique to summon the fighters back to their home world. Plumes of smoky clouds engulfed the gigantic crater in the battlefield as all nine tailed beasts and Team 7, along with Obito, were teleported into the parameters of the summoning seal. The ground shook as each tailed beast dropped to the ground. 

As the view began to clear, Naruto spotted his father. Minato’s cracked face smiled at them. "Dad…" 

“Welcome home Naruto, and my former students…” The Fourth parted his mouth hesitantly, amazed to see Obito cradled in Kakashi’s arms. “I am happy I got to see Obito return to where he belongs, too.” 

Obito raised a thumbs up and laughed light-heartedly. Letting out a relieved sigh, Kakashi glanced down at his teammate. “Can you stand yet? My arms are getting tired,” he complained gently. Everybody joined in with the laughter. 

Sakura leaned across Naruto’s shoulder and muttered something into his ear, while pointing to a mysterious floating figure that had appeared before them when they were transported. “Six Paths Super Gramps,” Naruto uttered; that wasn’t the man’s actual name of course. “Which means…” 

“Yes, that’s right, you’re back in your world via summoning done by all the prior five kage together. I called on all of the historical five kage from the afterworld to help,” the Sage of the Six Paths explained. His voice was clear and strong, and he spoke his words proudly. Sat cross-legged while levitating, this man’s sheer power could be felt by just looking upon him. He bore a similar cloak and third eye to Kaguya, and the tomoe that decorated the cloak resembled the one’s Obito had during his Jinchuriki phase. He was certainly special, not of this planet. “You all did excellent work in saving the world.” 

“Six Paths Super Gramps?” 

“Wait, are you by any chance the legendary…?” 

Sakura and Kakashi respectively were especially curious to know whom he was. 

“I am Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Sometimes also known as the Sage of the Six Paths.” 

“So it was you after all,” Kakashi mumbled, astounded. “You’re probably the only person who could perform such god-like actions.” 

“You’re Hatake Kakashi, isn’t that right?” 

Taken aback by the recognition, he stammered. “Y-yes sir.” 

“Good job guiding everyone in making sure my mother was sealed away. That truly was the work of the gods. And Uchiha Obito,” Obito tensed up, expecting a scolding. Even Sasuke’s attention was drawn. “You managed to find the light again in what you believed to be eternal darkness, and played a crucial role alongside your comrades, new and old. I hope you continue on a path to redemption and resume your former dreams.” 

Shuffling his legs and glancing up to Kakashi, the other understood and let Obito down. He kept an arm around his shoulder to stay upright. Obito took a moment to compose his thoughts and feelings, then assembled a response to Hagoromo. “My former dreams have already been sealed,” he said wearily. “However, they are now entrusted with my comrade, and I believe in what they can do.” 

Kakashi’s eyes widened with surprise, staring on ahead as he tried to comprehend what he heard. There was surely a misunderstanding. “You mean Naruto?” 

“No, Kakashi, I mean you. I know you will be the Sixth Hokage everybody needs.” 

From a little distance, Minato overheard and gasped audibly. It was the best he’d ever seen Kakashi and Obito getting on together, it didn’t feel possible from how he’d seen them in the past, yet it was really happening. He flashed a bright grin and stood up from his crouched position. This garnered the attention of his former students right in time for him to call out to them. “Rin would be very proud of the both of you! As am I.” 

“Thank you, Obito, Sensei,” The Hatake bit down on his lip and closed his eyes, at once blinded by emotions that he never shared in front of anybody. Perhaps only Obito had seen him like this of everybody who was still around. He adjusted his headband and allowed his silver bangs to fall over the visible parts of his face. 

Obito was quick to comment. “You’re a mess.” He squawked a fraction of a second after as Kakashi proceeded to elbow him in the side. “I’m still fragile!” the Uchiha coughed. 

Old man Hagoromo looked back and forth between the former teammates and couldn’t help but giggle to himself. “I’m pleased to see you two fine men have a flourishing relationship that I can see lasting for the years to come. Take care of one another.” 

Catching them both off guard, the two panicked. Obito nearly fell over as he leaned away from the other man, whining. “There’s no chance of that! We’re just like oil and water!” 

Kakashi, who had halted the waterfalls leaking from his eyes, flung his head up and reached over for Obito, grabbing his shoulder furthest away and yanking him into a tight hold. “He’s certainly got some energy back all of a sudden, what a shame I was hoping he’d take a nap and give me some quiet time,” Kakashi muffled while struggling to keep his grasp on the fidgeting and whimpering Uchiha. 

Minato sighed and smiled; that there was more like the boys he knew. He was confident they weren't going to grow cold to each other ever again though, in fact they were everything but oil and water now. They’d shown just a slither of their potential teamwork at the end of the war, and had many new abilities they could explore and perfect together, as a duo. 

Hagoromo felt it was about time to get things moving. “Now is the moment I’ll release the jutsu, freeing the five kage and the reanimated shinobi.” 

Everybody glanced around. Obito furrowed his brows shamefully, remembering that Minato Sensei had to go, too. He knew Naruto would want to talk to his father before he disappeared, so began briefly. 

> [ Naruto Shippuden OST 3 Track 5 - Yawarakana Te ]

“Sensei, I wish there were words I could say to make up for what harm I’ve done to you, I really made a mess out of the shinobi world. I’m-” 

Cutting him off from finishing, Minato spoke up. “Don’t worry, Obito, I don’t need to hear your words. I can feel from the goodness in your heart that you wouldn’t intend for any of this to happen if you could go back. There’s one thing I would like to ask of you though. Please teach Naruto what it takes to be a Hokage. The will of fire still blazes bright within you, so I absolutely know that you will know what to say, better than anyone. Can I count on you?” 

Obito wiped the corner of his eye and nodded. 

"And Kakashi,” the Fourth continued, directing his next words to his other student. “I know it was never your aspiration to lead the village, but I believe in you and your abilities to take on the people of Konoha proceeding this war. The experience will do you some good, and Obito will be by your side too. Can I count on you as well?” 

And with a nod of his head, Kakashi was prepared to accept those responsibilities, knowing both of his teams would be supporting him every step of the way. He knew the Fourth had little time remaining, so hurriedly said goodbye and glanced over to Naruto who was making his way across the battlefield to speak to his father. 

It wasn’t only Minato who had close ones to wish some final words to. Lord First got up and made his way over to the body of Uchiha Madara, who was also teleported back to this world earlier, after having been consumed and spat out again by Kaguya. The former foes got to share a couple minutes as friends again. 

The Second and Third Hokage said their last words before their bodies disintegrated and their chakra spirits ascended from the field. The past Kage from the other four nations followed suit, each one flying high up and returning to their peaceful slumber in the afterworld. The storminess of the night sky had parted way to a fresh morning sun that sparkled life back into the corrupted landscape, and trees and other greenery sprouted from the remaining zetsu bodies left behind from the crumpled reanimated shinobi. The nine tailed beasts in their majestic forms reminisced as a reunited group, celebrating their freedom and plans for the future. The Sage of the Six Paths spoke again with them before they would make their departure, then returned his attention to the remaining shinobi. 

“Now then, all that’s left is to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Naruto has already decided. Sasuke, the rest is up to you.” 

It was a long pause before the silent boy gave his answer. “Yeah, alright.” 

“But first,” his powerful eyes flickered and threw a glare towards Naruto. “We fight. The outcome of the battle determines the outcome of this war.” 

Naruto stood quietly, facing his childhood rival, thinking about how he should approach this. It could only be him to stop any plans Sasuke had. If he didn’t fight him one last time, Sasuke would go ahead and carry them out anyway. “Bring it on,” he replied with determination. “It will be like the time we fought before you left the village. This time I won’t let you leave over my dead body.” 

The young Uchiha and Uzumaki took off from the great war’s battlefield. They began to make their way towards the Final Valley, where they would settle this between them, one to one. 

Sakura, Kakashi and Obito remained behind, with only Hagoromo left of the legends who had been brought back to assist them in this long and tiresome war. However, just like the many Kage and reanimations, he wasn’t able to stay in this world for long. “It seems that it’s almost time...” 

“Is there anything that we can do to support Naruto right now?” Obito asked collectedly. Each of them were thinking the same thing. Standing around while Naruto and Sasuke had vacated the area to end this war by themselves, not even able to help the victims of the Infinite Tsukuyomi without the unique powers gifted to those two, it felt all rather useless. 

“Just continue to maintain faith. That is the only thing we can do right now.” 

Pieces of the Sage’s cloak began to pull away like flames, fluttering around him. His body went up in bursts of blue chakra energy, gradually fading out his presence as it twisted and distorted his image, until it was completely gone. Just wisps of chakra continued to blow around as his voice sounded out a final time. 

“Naruto. Sasuke. Show me the shinobi’s answer.” 

A crisp autumn leaf spiralled from the sky and gently settled on the dirt beneath where the old man had been. The blue light died in each one of their shining eyes as Hagoromo vanished. 

Obito blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyelids. He peered around the battlefield as if trying to figure out if what had happened was a dream or truly reality. Slowly, clouds formed across his vision and fogged his mind too, and then the world faded out to black. 

“”

Bitter cold all over. 

Then what was this sudden feeling of warmth? 

The frosted layers on his cheeks broke down as a toasty and dense draft hugged the surface of his face. The concoction of ice and fire pleasantly prickled along his skin. It’s sensation was enough to make him stir awake, each sense returning one at a time. First touch, now sound. 

> [ Crackling Fire Sounds - check the playlist ]

There was definitely a lit fire closeby, and the crackle of gravel underneath somebody’s shoes, which seemed even closer to him. Sight returned next, gradually, as his eyelids parted to a dark night sky full of glistening stars. As he was about to lift his head and peek around, a face leaned over and took Obito by surprise. Sitting up and letting out a cracked shriek, Kakashi placed a fingertip against the other’s mouth and hushed him to silence. 

“Sakura is still sleeping, you idiot,” the Hatake sighed. “In other news, I’m glad you woke up. Sakura passed out not long after you did, and I couldn’t rest until I knew you were still okay.” 

Obito glanced across to where Sakura lay comfortably beside the fire pit, which supposedly Kakashi had made to keep the three of them warm. If they were still alone out here, it meant Sasuke and Naruto were still at it, for however many hours that already passed by and likely more to come. So this war still wasn’t over. 

“There have been numerous shockwaves every hour from the aftermath of their jutsu. I’m surprised none of those woke you. I’ve been pacing and covering my ears for a while now.” 

Not sure what to say anymore, Obito turned his face and stared into the brightness of the fire, tracing patterns that formed in the dancing flames. A lot was on his mind, and the first and most troublesome being what he was going to do now, after all of this. He didn’t have a home to return to, or a clan, and the village wouldn’t trust him for a lifetime. He’d lost the war, and he’d lost everything he once had, the only exception being Kakashi. 

Kakashi dropped himself heavily beside Obito, extending his arms behind him and straightening his legs out to get comfy. He heaved an elongated sigh and let the silence set in. He was hoping Obito would want to talk at some point. 

After minutes of nothing, he decided to try himself. “You don’t have to say anything. I can’t imagine what you went through all those years ago. But what I can imagine is I might have ended up in a similar position if you hadn’t said those words to me during our final mission as Team Minato... Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum... I lived by those words from that day onward. 

“If you wanted to kill me at any point during the war, you would have, I figured later on that you were holding back. You’ve far surpassed me, just as my students have. 

“I’m still amazed by whatever happened to you after you left our dimension. There’s not even a scratch on your chest. Not to mention your hair’s change in colour.” 

“Ah, you missed that part,” Obito broke his attention away from the flames and looked to the floor. He pulled up his right hand, the one made up with Hashirama’s cells, and turned it over to examine it. “It was my plan from the start to become the ten tails’ jinchuuriki. It was the weirdest feeling I’ve ever experienced… My body changed into shapes I didn’t think were possible.” 

“Can you recall what it looked like?” Kakashi questioned, curious to visualise it. The idea that Obito had been the jinchuuriki before Madara didn’t faze him much, as he recalled Madara had received white hair too, though it returned to black once he’d been released. For some reason, Obito’s hadn’t changed back. He'd also seen Naruto and many other ninja pulling the tailed beasts from Obito's body, through the visual prowess in his eye at the time. 

The Uchiha shook his head. “I do, however I wouldn’t know how to describe it well, or even show you.” 

“Can’t you use a transformation technique to recreate the appearance?” Kakashi poked, recalling Obito couldn’t do such a thing in their childhood days. 

Obito’s expression dropped into a sulking pout. “Assuming I know a simple transformation jutsu.” He realised quickly he’d said this out loud and perked back up, looking across at the other in a cold sweat. “I mean, of course I could do that! But another day would be better, don’t you agree?” 

Squinting, Kakashi looked him in the eyes jokingly unimpressed. They both knew Obito still couldn’t do the basics, which was highly amusing to some degree, since he didn’t exactly need them with the sort of abilities he’d been gifted. Being able to substitute out any part of his body at any given moment, continuously not to mention, that was already the ultimate defense technique. The Kamui ability was truly something to praise. 

“Sure thing,” he responded. 

The two shuffled closer to the fire pit and sat in silence again. There were many things he wanted to ask Obito, but overwhelming him wasn't his wish. Kakashi pondered, trying to think of something that could cheer them up for the time being, while they waited for the results from Final Valley. 

"Did you craft your masks yourself?" The familiar mask enthusiast eventually asked. It was a neutral question. Kakashi had to sew his own so they fit his face perfectly, but it was nothing like the full head masks Obito had worn over the years. 

Obito shot him a funny look, one eyebrow raised. "No, but I designed them. I had three in all, my first one represented the scars that had been left on me. The second one represented the being who inspired the Tobi persona, a Zetsu named Guruguru. And the third one was commissioned specifically for the war. They all held special connotations." 

Kakashi glanced away. "But you aren't going to wear masks again, are you?" he also asked. 

"I made a promise to Naruto earlier," Obito smiled. "No more masks." 

There was little room to think. Suddenly having Obito back, finally feeling like there was a reason to keep living now and no hurry to die, something had to change to mark this moment. Obito's words made something click. 

Kakashi turned back around and reached up to Obito's face, putting a hand over the other's mouth. His other hand motioned to his own, feeling for the brim of the material that covered it. The Uchiha's eyes widened, unsure what was going on. 

The thin cover slid down Kakashi's nose, and then over his lips. It clung around his chin for a moment before dropping down, hanging around his neck. 

Obito was speechless. 

"You said no more masks, no? Then I'll no longer wear one either." 

Obito took in the sight in front of him. For the first time, he'd seen what his best friend looked like. He'd not even been able to catch a glimpse of it in their younger days, and easily could have died without finding out. The curiosity to discover what Kakashi looked like had never been something he thought about often as a kid, but it had definitely crossed his mind, and those thoughts finally had an answer. 

A real face to the name. Hatake Kakashi. 

His face wasn't anything out of the ordinary, to start. His skin was well looked after surprisingly, and lips were smooth. It was a face that anybody could admit was attractive. Anybody, right? Obito wasn't about to say it out loud, but he thought about it a little longer. One detail that particularly stood out was a small, round mark below the left corner of his mouth. 

Kakashi released his hold over Obito's mouth and bit down on his bottom lip, hoping Obito would stay calm about this. 

"I never pictured you'd have a beauty mark," the Uchiha commented. "It's unique, and yet you hide it away all the time." 

"You're one to talk, your scars are even more unique and you kept your entire identity hidden." Kakashi rolled his eyes as a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. 

Not realising until he felt it, a finger pressed against his chin. He looked back and curiosity certainly had gotten the better of Obito. "What are you doing?" Kakashi reacted with confusion. 

Obito poked the man's face again. "Nobody else has experienced this, so I'm making the most of it," he chuckled. His finger drifted upward and brushed over the scar beneath Kakashi's left eye. That scar had saved Obito his life once. 

"No need, I'm not putting the mask back on," he mumbled, glancing away with embarrassment. 

Obito raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Kakashi's face was unmoved otherwise. 

"Well, you're not kidding," he registered. The other nodded. "What does this mean?" 

Kakashi simply shrugged. He'd acted in the moment. "It can mean that I have my trust in you." His glance returned to Obito, and the two exchanged a quiet moment, face to face. 

Something tingled. Obito continued to draw his finger over Kakashi's scar. 

With just his fingertips, Kakashi reached for Obito's uneven and scarred cheek, feeling over the ridges and dips. He took note of how each one started and ended, how some were deeper than others. These scars of course had saved Kakashi's life many years before. They’d both exchanged wounds that day. 

The final scar scored his bottom lip. Kakashi halted before he touched it. His focus flickered, and noticed Obito's expression had widely changed. Eyes as narrow as needles, and pink tinted cheeks. Kakashi retrieved his hand and grinned sheepishly. It seemed he'd gotten slightly carried away. "Sorry," the Hatake whispered. 

Obito averted his gaze and let go of Kakashi's face. He turned himself back towards the fire and longingly stared into the fluttering colors that it burned. 

Turning over, Sakura opened one eye, wondering what the deal was. She'd eavesdropped on part of their conversation towards the end, confused whose mask was what or where, and why her sensei had apologised. A sudden realisation later, she saw Kakashi was bare-faced. 

Sakura sat upright in a flash. "KAKASHI SENSEI?!" 

The two boys were blank faced with shock for a moment. 

"YOU DIDN'T PLAN THIS THROUGH AT ALL, DID YOU, BAKAKASHI?!" 

"STOP YELLING!" Kakashi freaked out, tumbling backwards frantically and catching his fall with his arms. The voices around the fire came to a dead hush. Kakashi was the first to start laughing at himself, and then the others chimed in with him. 

"I've never seen you like this before," Sakura expressed once she'd calmed down somewhat. Her face was red all over, and there was a good chance it wasn't from the heat of the fire pit. 

"Well, get used to it,” he concluded with a grin. 

Kakashi couldn’t have predicted what came next. Sakura’s flustered impression darkened, but it was now the red of anger. She stood up. Her strong posture was incredibly intimidating to be on the wrong side of. "All of those times Team 7 spent hours planning out intricate missions to try and get you to take your mask off, and now you're just going to stop wearing it like it's not a big deal…?" 

"Hey, don't- don't get upset, see this as a reward for saving the world-!" Kakashi stuttered. 

"Oh yeah, about that." Obito knelt up and made a fist against his palm, cracking a couple of knuckles. "Why were you dressed like Rin?" he said in reference to Sukea. 

_Kakashi had become aware that Obito could most likely have seen through his Sharingan at any point it was uncovered, once Kakashi had seen through Obito's other Sharingan for the first time. He feared Obito had found out about his Sukea persona not long after this realisation, as it was clearly inspired by Rin’s features. Brown hair, warm eyes, and purple rectangles._

Fading out to a ghostly white, Kakashi melted towards the ground and let out a distressed huff. He never considered that showing his face could be so difficult, and this was only to two people. 

"I think he needs some space," Sakura said with light concern, her face returning to it's normal shade. 

Obito hummed in agreement and sat back down. Remembering the real worry they were facing, he glanced up at Sakura. "There hasn't been any sign of Sasuke or Naruto since I woke up, I wonder how the tides of the battle have turned out." 

"We should begin to head over there, there's no point guessing what could've happened." Sakura pulled herself together and brushed her jacket down. “I’m going to get a head start, since I can assist them with my restored medical ninjutsu. Pick up Kakashi Sensei and then join me if you will, Obito.” With that, she leapt into the air and disappeared over the wall of the crater. 

There was a small cough from behind him. Obito slowly looked over his shoulder to see Kakashi was already sat up, arms folded and legs crossed. 

“What?” the Uchiha barked at him. 

“Pick me up then. Captain’s orders.” 

Inhaling through his nose loudly and holding his breath, the Uchiha didn’t look too pleased. "We don't even have to travel by foot, I have Kamui. I can get us both there in just minutes." He breathed out heavily, dropping his shoulders. "Let Sakura go on ahead." 

Soft pinks and oranges leaked over the rocky horizon, sparkling like multiple lanterns, announcing the arrival of morning. It had been one full day. The canvas of stars slowly faded into the background until they couldn't be seen, a royal blue pigment covering them up and painting the sky. 

Obito took a seat back down and shielded his eyes from the light. A small tear that rolled over his cheek glinted in the new sun, and despite trying to hide the evidence, the other noticed. 

"Want to talk about it?" Kakashi asked carefully. In his youth, he would have called his teammate a crybaby, but he didn’t feel that way about it anymore. 

Obito was reluctant to say anything at first, but he couldn't keep hiding from the truth. Reality was going to catch up to him eventually. "What's going to happen when the Infinite Tsukuyomi is undone?" 

Kakashi was stuck with that question. There were too many ways to interpret it, too many potential cold feelings behind it. He managed to mask his concern for the question when responding. "I'm not sure what will happen, this is the first time anybody has seen anything like this in their lives." 

As Obito shuffled awkwardly in response to his ambiguous answer, Kakashi understood what he really meant to ask. It would be difficult for Obito to completely dismiss what he spent almost 20 years of his life working towards, believing he was in the right all the while. But Kakashi couldn't start to sympathise with it, and if he did, many shinobi would lose trust or respect for him. He didn't have only Obito to look out for, but an entire village, if he was still projected to be the next Hokage. He would have to be real with Obito sooner or later. 

It was time to get the damage out of the way. 

"I hoped you’d already realised. That you're currently my prisoner and I have to take you back to the Hidden Leaf when this war is officially concluded, where you'll be interrogated for information." 

Obito had nothing more to say. 

Kakashi continued, dreading each word that would leave his mouth. "They'll need to question you about the Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara, and the intentions of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. I expect there will be much more as well, things I'm not even aware of and I don't know if I want to be. You don't have to tell them anything, but your prison sentence will depend on your cooperation with them." 

By the time he'd come to a stop, Kakashi grit his teeth together and screwed his eyes shut. Having to relay that to the same person he praised every morning for years, it felt so wrong. 

It hurt his heart. 

"I can't save you from this, Obito," his voice trembled. 

Just seconds of watching his comrade on the verge of crying, he couldn't stand it. "That's enough of that," Obito declared, getting up. 

"I will let them extract anything they want from my brain." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you if you got through to the end! If you've reached this point, leave a comment to let me know.
> 
> Find me on [Twitter at HokageKamui,](https://twitter.com/HokageKamui)  
> or add me on Discord at **HokageKamui#0210** since I'm most active on these places.


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